Boys’ Tennis: Sailors’ playoffs short-lived
NEWPORT BEACH — The Newport Harbor High boys’ tennis team had three goals this season, and Coach Kristen Case said the Sailors accomplished them all.
They defended their championship at the Sage Hill Lightning Invitational tournament. They learned and improved from a tough preseason schedule. And, finally, they made the CIF playoffs.
Once they got to the postseason, however, they went up against a Beckman team that was just a bit too tough.
The Patriots won eight of nine doubles sets and cruised to victory, 13-5, on Tuesday afternoon in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 wild-card match, ending the Sailors’ season.
“Their doubles today, they were very strong, and they were strong on singles as well,” Case said. “They’re a very deep team, but they came from the Pacific Coast League, which is a very strong league. We knew they were going to be a tough team to play, but we were definitely ready. I was really happy with how we played today.”
Newport Harbor (12-10), the third-place team from the Sunset League, got a singles sweep from sophomore Reese Stalder. He captured his sets easily, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2.
Senior captain Christian Lee won one singles set, and junior captains Sean Perrier and Garrett Byers won the Sailors’ lone doubles set, 6-4, in the third round.
Lee got to the match a bit late, as he was taking the Advanced Placement test in art history. By the time he got to the courts, Newport Harbor was on its way to being down 5-1 after the first round.
Two doubles sets were close. But Beckman’s No. 1 team of Matt Tran and Aaron Yu outlasted Perrier and Byers, 7-5. And Beckman’s No. 2 team of Joe Uhm and Andy Seo topped Newport Harbor’s Michael Eder and David Schaefer, 6-4.
The No. 3 team, Ryan Teng and Charlie Tong, also swept for Beckman (14-8).
“They were pretty consistent,” said Eder, a senior and Newport Harbor’s fourth team captain. “They didn’t miss a lot of shots. That’s probably the best doubles teams we’ve played.”
Case said she liked the way her doubles teams bounced back from those tough losses. But Beckman, which finished fourth in the Pacific Coast League and earned an at-large berth into the playoffs, was too strong.
Beckman Coach Nick Friendt said his program is in the midst of a historic season. The Patriots have set a single-season win record, and this is their first time in CIF.
“League is flat-out murderer’s row,” Friendt said of playing teams like University and Corona del Mar, the top two seeds in Division 1, in league. “The only [nonleague] team we lost to was Mira Costa, and they’re No. 6 in CIF right now.
“In this league, it comes down to just a couple of sets and a couple of points in doubles. We don’t have anyone that’s going to match up with Reese over here, just like we don’t have anyone that’s going to match up with Kenny Gea from Irvine, and the Uni guys and the CdM guys. So, hey, you better win your points in ‘dubs.’”
Beckman plays at No. 4-seeded Palos Verdes in a first-round match Wednesday. The Sailors’ season ends on a down note, but Case said her team was resilient throughout. She said this year’s squad suffered more 8-10 and 9-9 losses than any other team she’s coached.
“That builds strength and builds character,” Case said. “It’s what you do after that. It’s realizing that you played well and you’re right there, so keep your head up and keep going after it.
“Every single person on the team improved this season. I feel like those personal victories were huge for us.”
